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Tuesday, September 17, 2013

My 2013 Los Angeles Dodgers all-prospect team

This is the second year I’ve done my All-Prospect team, and
there are some familiar names on this team. There are also some surprises, some
2013 draftees and even a guy who isn’t a Dodger prospect anymore.

To be eligible for this list, a player must be prospect-eligible
for the 2014 season. Otherwise, guys like Yasiel Puig, Paco Rodriguez and Chris
Withrow would show up on this list.

- Farmer was the Dodgers’ eighth-round draft pick in 2013
and played in the friendly confines of the Pioneer League. What lands Farmer on
this team is the conversion he made. He was a shortstop at the University of
Georgia and was converted to catcher by the Dodgers. By all accounts, he handled
himself pretty well.

- Chigbogu got off to a fast start in the Arizona League by
belting five home runs in his first 46 at-bats, earning a promotion to Ogden.
His numbers were down a bit there, but he still showed the system’s best power
potential. His first true test could come next season in Midland. Dickson was a
close second in this race.

- Sweeney started off the season well and as the Quakes’
shortstop and leadoff hitter. By season’s end, he was the team’s second baseman
and No. 3 hitter. He hit for the cycle in May, but struggled more than I
expected, especially playing in a favorable hitter’s league. Still, he finished
with 34 doubles to go along with his homers and triples. He was also 48-for-68
(70.5 percent) in stolen bases. Sweeney’s future lies at second base, regardless
of what my shortstop selection on this list does.

- My choice for breakout prospect, Santana fared quite well
in his second go in Ogden. Perhaps most impressive in his short-season
performance was the improved walk rate. He drew 20 walks in 230 plate
appearances. He drew 15 in 210 PAs last season and 10 in 205 PAs in 2011. He
should be assigned to Great Lakes next season. If he can continue to improve
his plate discipline, the power will come.

- Seager tore up the Midwest League after a slow start -- so
much so that he earned a promotion to High-A and a trip to the Arizona Fall League. Seager showed his true
potential and surprising power for such a young player in a pitcher’s league.
He struggled in the California League, but that could be due to fatigue and
acclimating himself to advanced competition.

- Buss had a breakout season in the Pacific Coast League, so
take that with a grain of salt. But he was the Isotopes’ most consistent and
best hitter all season. He was a PCL All-Star (during the season and after the
season) and earned a surprising September call-up. He’s an older prospect, so
his ceiling is extremely limited (like, he might already be there), but he had
a great 2013 season.

- The first and only Lookout to make the first team,
Pederson had an excellent season in the Southern League. He started the season
well, teaming with Yasiel Puig to form a nice 2-3 or 3-4 combination. But
Pederson kept the production up even after Puig was recalled. He proved he
could handle center field in more than a pinch and earned an invite to the
Futures Game, where Ben Badler said he had the most impressive batting practice
on the U.S. team. Pederson set a career-high in home runs, stolen bases and
walks. That bodes well for him going forward. He tailed off a little toward the
end of the season, but so did the entire Lookout offense.

- My Dodgers’ Minor League Player of the Year, Schebler had
a fantastic season for the Quakes. He led the Cal League in total bases, was
second in home runs and was the only Dodger minor-leaguer to post 20-plus home
runs, 20-plus doubles and 10-plus triples. He’ll face a good test in Double-A
come next season. He’s a corner outfielder at this rate.

- My top Dodger prospect for the last two years, Lee had a
career-year in the Southern League. He established career-bests in innings
pitched, strikeouts, strikeout rate, and career-lows in ERA, WHIP and walk
rate. For some reason, he still doesn’t get the acclaim from some that he
should. He was facing advanced competition in his age-21 season and had his
best year. While he’s not going to be a No. 1 or even No. 2, he could easily be
a good No. 3 starter in the majors.

- What more can be said about this amazing teenager? His
season was unprecedented and shockingly good. He has such an advanced feel for
pitching that it’s hard to believe he’s just 17 years old. It’ll be interesting
to see what happens with him going forward, but Urias looks like the real deal.

- Stripling is similar to Lee in a lot of respects. They
have similar repertories, similar builds and similar ceilings. Stripling
dominated early on in High-A, earning a promotion to Double-A. He began in the
rotation in Chattanooga, and pitched well. After a stint in the bullpen to
limit his innings (and that didn’t go well), he was back in the rotation and
finished the season strong. Along with Lee, he’s the closest starting pitching
prospect to the majors (Matt Magill made his debut this season).

- This one is kind of weird, as Sulbaran was foolishly
traded early in August for a 30-year-old catcher who can’t hit. But before he
was dealt, he team with Urias and a couple of 2013 draft picks to form quite
the rotation in Midland. But, Sulbaran is now a Minnesota Twin and should
continue to do good things for that organization.

- Reed, my boy, actually had a decent season. He tailed off
toward the end, but that’s not uncommon. He established a career-high in
innings pitched, which was one of the biggest question marks surrounding him.
Something to note is his decreased strikeout rate. It seems he pitched more to
contact this season, leading to the reduced K-rate and increased ground ball
rate. That could be a good thing for him going forward, especially if his
slider isn’t getting the expected results.

SP 10: Lindsey
Caughel, 23, High-A/Low-A

Relief Pitcher 1:
Yimi Garica, 22, Double-A

19 SV, 2.54 ERA, 0.81
WHIP, 2.1 BB/9, 12.7 K/9

- Garcia doesn’t get the notoriety of some other arms in the
Dodger system, but he’s been really good in his brief career. He was the
Lookouts’ closer and the only area in which he didn’t do well is home runs
allowed. He gave up nine in 60 1/3 innings. That will need to improve going
forward, but he’s going to end up in a Major League bullpen someday soon.

- Garcia began the season in the Lookouts’ rotation before
an injury derailed that. The Dodgers put him in the bullpen when he came back
and that’s where he thrived. Control is still the biggest issue surrounding
him, but he has electric stuff. He’s struggled in the majors thus far, though.

- Griggs was dominant at times this season, even capturing a
Midwest League Pitcher of the Week honor, but his control plagued him at times.
Still, Griggs has a great fastball/slider combination that will serve him well
in now and in the future. He has true strikeout stuff that is needed in most
late-inning relievers.

- Patterson was the Isotopes’ everything this season. When
he was racking up innings out of the bullpen, he was making a dozen starts.
Despite not having any plus pitches or a mid-90s fastball, he still averaged
more than a strikeout per inning. He could see some time in a Major League
bullpen, as he’s been underrated in the Dodger system seemingly his entire
career.

- Dominguez began the season serving a 25-game suspension.
When he came back, he was dominant in Chattanooga. He earned a promotion to
Triple-A before the Dodgers recalled him. He injured his quad in July and
hasn’t pitched in almost two months. Still, his 100 MPH fastball and knockout
slider are a lethal combination for him.

2 comments:

Great list Dustin. I don't know what Ogle's status is. He played mostly at 1B and DH. After Eric Smith went down, Jose Capellan got most of the time catching.

Perhaps the only player I would choose differently is adding Geoff Brown to the relief corps. I know he was a bit old for the Midwest League but his experience and versatility bodes well, as well as being a lefty. I expect to see him with the Lookouts in 2014. I probably would rate him ahead of Owen Jones who was demoted from A+ or Pedro Baez.

Love the list ... Question on Jacob Scavuzzo .... You have him listed as a LF. When he was drafted I thought he was a CF. I know I heard a lot of "Matt Kemp at the same age" talk. It looks like he split his time this year between LF & CF.